Foot Anatomy

Understanding foot anatomy will help you prevent and treat many sports injuries. The basic anatomy, as well as the function of the foot is discussed below.

Foot Bones

The foot is made up of many different bones. The tibia and the fibula are the lower leg bones that make up the ankle joint. They articulate, or touch, with the talus.

The tibia is the weight bearing bone of the lower leg...also known as the "shin bone".

The fibula is the smaller low leg bone, on the outside of your leg. Both the tibia and fibula extend down to the ankle, and their ends create the "ankle bones" on the inside and outside of the ankle.

The talus sits between the tibia and the fibula, and creates the ankle "mortise". This joint acts like a hinge joint, allowing you to move your foot up and down.

Moving further down the foot are the tarsals - five bones that form the mid-section of your foot. Each of these bones is connected to each other with small ligaments.

The tarsals make up the midfoot, and part of the arch of the foot.

There is not a lot of movement between these bones, however, they do need to be able to give and take as you bear weight on the leg.

After an ankle or foot injury, this motion is sometimes compromised, and can lead to loss of function.

Following the foot antomy towards the toes, next comes the metatarsals, five bones that make up the end of your foot, just before the toes. This is referred to as the forefoot.

The metatarsals are the most commonly injured bones in the ankle. This area of foot anatomy is especially important, as most fractures and stress fractures occur here.

>Last, but not least, the final bones are the phalanges - better known as the toes.

Each toe is made up of three bones, except for the big toe, which only has two.

Toes are commonly injured in sports, however, these injuries are usually minor.

Foot Ligaments

When looking at foot anatomy and the ligaments of the foot, the most commonly injured and most important are the ligaments of the ankle. These are injured with ankle sprains. For more about the ankle ligaments, visit our webpage on ankle anatomy

Other ligments in the foot include all of the ligaments that connect the tarsal bones, as well as the ligaments and joint capsules of the metatarsals and phalanges. Ligaments are responsible for maintaining the arch of the foot, especially at the tarsal bones in the midfoot.

The plantar fascia is not a ligament, but does help to maintain the arch, and may become inflammed with plantar fasciitis.

Foot Muscles

The majority of the foot muscles are small, intrinsic muscles that run along the underside of the foot.

They help to move the toes, and to maintain the arch of the foot. Most of the muscles in the foot that are injured with sports originate from the lower leg and cross the ankle.

These include the gastroc and soleus, the peroneals, the posterior tibialis, anterior tibialis, the the toe flexors and extensors.

Tendonitis is the most common injury with these muscles.

Summary

Foot anatomy is comprised of the bones, ligaments, and muscles that make up the foot. They all help to maintain the arch, to absorb stress and shock, and to provide a means to propel the body through all kinds of athletic activities. Understanding the anatomy can help with prevention and treatment of sports injuries.

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